1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to systems for producing labels. More specifically, the present invention concerns an improved system for inserting pamphlets into a printing press, wherein the improved system provides for non-gravity feed of the pamphlets, universal aligner pin spacing, and mechanical synchronization.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
Printed labels are applied to a wide variety of products and product packaging. These labels typically contain printed product information and are formed onto a web of backing material that enables the labels to be subsequently removed from the web and adhered to a respective container. One particular type of labels include pamphlets that typically have several printed pages that are folded accordion style and adhered to a corresponding container in a pocket or flap so that the user can access the pamphlet. For example, various governmental regulations require that certain types of products such as pesticides include informative or warning material on the product. Pamphlets are often utilized to carry this requisite product information.
These pamphlets are typically produced in three stages. In stage one, a portion of the pamphlet is printed (e.g., in a machine that prints a sheet and folds it into the accordion style portion of the pamphlet). In stage two, the preprinted portion of the pamphlet is inserted into a printing press where it is combined with a complemental portion of the pamphlet to form the completed pamphlet onto a web including a backing and a release material. In this stage, the printing press typically prints a back page of the pamphlet onto the release material, the preprinted portion is then placed onto the back page, and a sheet of adhesive material is compressed over the pamphlet and onto the web. The pamphlet-laden web is then fed through a dye cutting station associated with the printing press where the adhesive material and the release material are cut to size to form a string of web containing completed pamphlets. In stage three, the completed pamphlets are removed from the web and adhered to the product containers.
Systems for inserting the preprinted portions of pamphlets into a printing press utilizing an inserter during stage two discussed above are known in the art. It is important that the preprinted portions of the pamphlet be fed into the printing press at an appropriate rate (i.e., synchronized with the printing rate of the press) and in an appropriate alignment (i.e., in registration with the complemental portions of the pamphlet) to enable the press to form the completed pamphlet (i.e., a pamphlet where the preprinted portion and the complemental portion have substantial correspondence between the positioning of the respective printed pages of the pamphlet). Prior art inserters utilize a gravity feed to feed the preprinted portions of the pamphlet into a take-away cylinder (e.g., pneumatic driven, conveyor-type belt driven, etc.) that feeds the portions into an aligner pin assembly that aligns the portions and feeds them into the pinch rollers of a printing press. The gravity feed requires a plurality of the portions to be stacked up at least partially vertically so that gravity causes each portion to feed into the take-away cylinder. Prior art inserters utilize aligner pins that are dependent on the dimensions of the portion being fed. Therefore, when an operator desires to produce a different pamphlet having dimensions that vary from the previous pamphlet, the operator must change the aligner pins or their spacing. Prior art inserters also utilize electronically controlled devices (e.g., photooptic sensors, digital controllers, etc.) to synchronize the inserter with the corresponding printing press.
These prior art inserters are problematic and have several limitations. For example, the gravity feed feature is problematic as the preprinted pamphlet portions will often deform or overfeed. The gravity feeds undesirably require an operator to continuously stock, and align, pamphlet portions into the feeder to regulate the rate at which they feed into the take-away cylinder. In addition, prior art inserters require the operator(s) to change aligner pins, their spacing, in order to run a different sized pamphlet. Changing aligner pins, or their spacing, is time consuming and inefficient and therefore is undesirable. Furthermore, the electronically controlled devices utilized by prior art inserters are expensive, difficult to setup, and difficult to maintain, and thus are undesirable.
The present invention provides a system for inserting pamphlets that utilizes an improved inserter to insert the pamphlet portions into a printing press. The improved inserter does not suffer from the problems and limitations of the prior art inserters discussed above. The improved system provides for non-gravity feed of the pamphlet portions, universal aligner pin spacing that is independent of the pamphlet dimensions, and mechanical synchronization.
A first aspect of the present invention concerns an inserter for synchronously feeding a preprinted portion of a pamphlet into a printing press to be adhered to a complemental portion of the pamphlet in substantial registration to form the completed pamphlet, wherein the printing press includes a print cylinder that prints the complemental portion of the pamphlet. The inserter broadly includes a feeder assembly, an aligner assembly, and a drive assembly. The aligner assembly is operable to introduce the preprinted portions of the pamphlets into the printing press in sufficient alignment to allow the formation of the completed pamphlets. The drive assembly is operable to synchronize the feeder assembly and the aligner assembly with the printing press to enable the formation of the completed pamphlets. The feeder assembly is operable to feed the preprinted portion of the pamphlet into the aligner assembly and includes a power source and a substantially horizontal support surface. The power source is operable to move a plurality of the preprinted portions of the pamphlets along the support surface in a substantially horizontal direction into contact with the aligner assembly.
A second aspect of the present invention concerns an inserter for synchronously feeding a preprinted portion of a pamphlet into a printing press to be adhered to a complemental portion of the pamphlet in substantial registration to form the completed pamphlet, wherein the printing press includes a print cylinder that prints the complemental portion of the pamphlet and the preprinted portion of the pamphlet includes a leading edge and a trailing edge. The inserter broadly includes a feeder assembly, an aligner assembly, and a drive assembly operable to synchronize the feeder assembly and the aligner assembly with the printing press to enable the formation of the completed pamphlets. The feeder assembly is operable to feed the preprinted portion of the pamphlet into the aligner assembly. The aligner assembly is operable to introduce the preprinted portions of the pamphlets into the printing press in sufficient alignment to allow the formation of the completed pamphlets. The aligner assembly includes a pneumatic take-away cylinder and a pair of spaced aligner pins. The take-away cylinder is operable to transfer the preprinted portion of the pamphlet from the feeder assembly to at least one of the aligner pins. Each of the aligner pins is operable to position the preprinted portion of the pamphlet into the sufficient alignment. The spacing between the aligner pins is independent of the dimensions of the preprinted portion of the pamphlet.
A third aspect of the present invention concerns an inserter for synchronously feeding a preprinted portion of a pamphlet into a printing press to be adhered to a complemental portion of the pamphlet in substantial registration to form the completed pamphlet, wherein the printing press includes a bull gear linked to a print cylinder by a print gear that drives the print cylinder at a print rate to print the complemental portion of the pamphlet. The inserter broadly includes a feeder assembly, an aligner assembly, and a drive assembly. The aligner assembly is operable to introduce the preprinted portions of the pamphlets into the printing press in sufficient alignment to allow the formation of the completed pamphlets. The drive assembly is operable to mechanically synchronize the feeder assembly and the aligner assembly with the printing press to enable the formation of the completed pamphlets. The feeder assembly is operable to feed the preprinted portion of the pamphlet into the aligner assembly. The aligner assembly includes a pneumatic take-away cylinder and a pair of spaced aligner pins. The take-away cylinder is operable to transfer the preprinted portion of the pamphlet from the feeder assembly to at least one of the aligner pins. Each of the aligner pins is operable to position the preprinted portion of the pamphlet into the sufficient alignment. The drive assembly includes a drive gear operable to be in mechanical communication with the bull gear so that when they are in mechanical communication the drive gear is synchronized with the print rate. The drive assembly further includes a timing chain mechanically linking the drive gear with the take-away cylinder and the aligner pins so that when the drive gear is in mechanical communication with the bull gear the take-away cylinder and the aligner pins are synchronized with the print rate.
A fourth aspect of the present invention concerns an inserter for synchronously feeding a preprinted portion of a pamphlet into a printing press to be adhered to a complemental portion of the pamphlet in substantial registration to form the completed pamphlet, wherein the printing press includes a bull gear that drives a print cylinder at a print rate to print the complemental portion of the pamphlet. The inserter broadly includes a feeder assembly, an aligner assembly, and a drive assembly. The feeder assembly is operable to feed the preprinted portion of the pamphlet into the aligner assembly and includes a power source and a substantially horizontal support surface. The power source is operable to move a plurality of the preprinted portions of the pamphlets along the support surface in a substantially horizontal direction into contact with the aligner assembly. The aligner assembly is operable to introduce the preprinted portions of the pamphlets into the printing press in sufficient alignment to allow the formation of the completed pamphlets. The aligner assembly includes a pneumatic take-away cylinder and a pair of spaced aligner pins. The take-away cylinder is operable to transfer the preprinted portion of the pamphlet from the feeder assembly to at least one of the aligner pins. Each of the aligner pins is operable to position the preprinted portion of the pamphlet into the sufficient alignment. The spacing between the aligner pins is independent of the dimensions of the preprinted portion of the pamphlet. The drive assembly is operable to mechanically synchronize the feeder assembly and the aligner assembly with the printing press to enable the formation of the completed pamphlets. The drive assembly includes a drive gear operable to be in mechanical communication with the bull gear so that when they are in mechanical communication the drive gear is synchronized with the print rate. The drive assembly further includes a timing chain mechanically linking the drive gear with the take-away cylinder and the aligner pins so that when the drive gear is in mechanical communication with the bull gear the take-away cylinder and the aligner pins are synchronized with the print rate.
A fifth aspect of the present invention concerns a method of synchronously inserting preprinted portions of pamphlets into a printing press to be adhered to complemental portions of the pamphlets in substantial registration to form completed pamphlets. The method broadly includes the steps of (a) loading a plurality of the preprinted portions of the pamphlets onto a substantially horizontal support surface; (b) moving the plurality of the preprinted portions of the pamphlets along the support surface in a substantially horizontal direction into contact with a cylinder; (c) passing each of the preprinted portions of the pamphlets past the cylinder; (d) positioning each of the preprinted portions of the pamphlets into the sufficient alignment using one of a pair of spaced aligner pins; and (e) synchronously introducing the preprinted portions of the pamphlets into the printing press to enable the formation of the completed pamphlets.
A sixth aspect of the present invention concerns an inserter for synchronously feeding a preprinted portion of a pamphlet into a Rotary Printing and Die Cutting Equipment manufactured by Mark Andy Inc. of St. Louis, Mo. to be adhered to a complemental portion of the pamphlet in substantial registration to form the completed pamphlet. The inserter broadly includes a feeder assembly, an aligner assembly, and a drive assembly. The feeder assembly is operable to feed the preprinted portion of the pamphlet into the aligner assembly and includes a power source and a substantially horizontal support surface. The aligner assembly is operable to introduce the preprinted portions of the pamphlets into the Rotary Printing and Die Cutting Equipment in sufficient alignment to allow the formation of the completed pamphlets and includes a pair of spaced aligner pins. The drive assembly is operable to mechanically synchronize the feeder assembly and the aligner assembly with the Rotary Printing and Die Cutting Equipment to enable the formation of the completed pamphlets and includes a drive gear and a timing chain.